A sweet story celebrating creativity, culture, and true friendship.
An American art student spends a summer exploring Tokyo and collaborating on a comic with her Japanese pen pal in this work based on the author’s life.
In suburban America in 1986, young Abby discovers a passion for Japanese culture and cuisine, while an ocean away in Japan, a little girl named Yuuko falls in love with American music. As they enter their teens, they both become talented artists who enjoy making their own comics. Years later, Abby goes to art school in Manhattan, where a music shop accepts some of her minicomics on consignment—and Yuuko, who’s visiting New York with her older sister, finds and buys one. Yuuko sends Abby a letter of admiration, sharing some of her own work, and they become pen pals, bonding over their common interests. In the summer of 1997, Abby, who’s white, attends a college summer program in Japan, and the two young women explore Tokyo and its art scene. They even work together, creating their own comic to sell at Comiket, a large annual convention. This work inspired by Denson’s experiences is an ode to artistic passion and self-published comics, manga, and zines. It encapsulates an international connection and a relationship that grew despite distance, language barriers, and cultural differences. Utomaru’s bright, full-color illustrations are cute and fun, adding historical and cultural context. Notes and photographs from the author, the illustrator, and Yuuko add context and a personal touch.
A sweet story celebrating creativity, culture, and true friendship. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781546111283
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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